It’s home to big things: a giant whale hanging from the ceiling. And small things: “Lucy,” the skeleton of one of the first humans, looking pretty good at over three million years old. Whether giant creatures or microscopic life forms appeal to one’s imagination, the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is one of NYC’s must-see attractions.

On Sunday, May 27, eleven CCIP (www.theccip.com) exchange visitors made their first activity visit to the museum. This activity was led by Renee Yan from the Education University of Hong Kong and Owen Qi from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Created in 1869, the AMNH is one of the largest museums in the world, and it’s a challenge to see it all. So students broke into groups to follow different interests. One group checked out the monumental multimedia exhibit Unseen Oceans. Another explored the solar system with Dark Universe. And another group took in the last day of the Butterfly Conservatory.

Group leader Owen, opted to see the butterflies. “The museum is over a hundred years old,” he said. “But being in the midst all those live species reminds you that the Natural History Museum has a conservation mission that’s very important today as well. It was cute to see little kids having fun at the exhibit while learning about nature. “

Rocky Kwong from the City University of Hong Kong bought a special exhibition ticket for Unseen Oceans. “The oceans are such an important part of our planet and there’s still so much we don’t know about them. The show really made me want to stay on top of the next discoveries. Of course I also hoped to go to Dark Universe -- next time!"